Page 6

Jasper’s eyes suddenly had great difficulty meeting her own. Meredith swung her gaze toward Jason. She saw his finger creep up to his cravat and tug insistently at it, attempting to adjust the fit around his neck. A nagging suspicion snaked through her mind.

“ ’Tis me,” she said in a voice of soft wonderment. “I am to be the spinster.”

“Don’t look so distressed,” Jasper admonished. “It’s a clever, flawless plan. Dardington will never suspect you.”

“Never,” Jason repeated enthusiastically.

“In fact, I’m not even sure he realizes you are our sister.

” Jason rubbed the palms of his hands together gleefully.

“The best part is that everyone in Society knows what a beautiful woman you are, so Dardington will have to pay out on the second half of the wager and give us the horses, too.”

“Is that how you see me? A beautiful spinster-” Meredith choked off her words, unable to continue.

“For pity’s sake, Merry, we would never call you a spinster,” Jasper said, his expression suspiciously innocent.

He moved the tip of his polished boot back and forth across a small section of the carpet.

“However, you are well past the age when most women marry, and it seems unlikely you will form a union anytime soon.”

A chill skittered along her spine. True, she was twenty-six years old and unmarried, with no immediate prospects to change that situation. But that was her choice.

Over the years she had lost count of the men whose marriage proposals she had rejected. Why, only last year the Earl of Monford had offered for her. He was a well-established nobleman in his early fifties, possessing an important title and an adequate income.

She had been both kind and gracious when refusing his offer, mentioning neither his lack of personal hygiene nor his inclination for conversation so boring it could be classified as mind-numbing as her main reasons for refusing his suit.

Meredith had always known she was different from other women of her class. At first the difference had confused her, but over the years she had learned to embrace and even celebrate her independence. She said it often and believed it totally—the opinion of others did not matter to her.

Yet why did it hurt so much to discover her brothers thought of her as a woman firmly on the shelf? A spinster!

“We thought you might find the wager amusing,” Jason said. He glanced worriedly over her head at his twin.

Concern flickered in Jasper’s eyes. “Your helping us win was meant to be a bit of fun. A lark.”

Meredith suppressed the exasperated reply that sprang to mind and instead searched her heart to find the humor in this situation. Yet she was still feeling too ruffled to find any.

“Since you have already decided I would be the perfect spinster, I assume you have also selected the rake I am to kiss?”

“We would hardly allow our sister to kiss someone we did not approve of,” Jasper said with a great show of indignation.

“How comforting to know I can count on your diligent vigilance of both my person and reputation,” Meredith said. “It warms a sister’s heart to know how highly she is regarded by her brothers. So who is it to be?”

Her expression remained frozen as she jerked her head back and forth to stare at the men seated on either side of her. They both looked sheepishly back.

“Dardington proposed the terms of the wager,” Jasper finally replied. “We thought it only fitting he should be the man who is kissed.”

“Very clever.” Meredith sniffed in a most unladylike manner, hardly surprised by the answer.

“I applaud your ingenuity. If Dardington is the man kissed, there shall be no quibbling over the completion of the wager. I was wondering how you were going to prove the task had been accomplished, but frankly was afraid to ask.”

She sucked in a painful breath. “However, I feel compelled to mention some flaws in your otherwise sterling idea. For example, what if I object to kissing Dardington?”

Jasper and Jason’s immediate scowls gave Meredith a wicked sense of satisfaction. Apparently this contingency had never even been considered.

“He is a very handsome, well-turned-out. gentleman,” Jason sputtered. He looked at his brother in confusion.

“I’m sure you would like him,” Jasper added.

Meredith tilted her head to one side as if she were carefully considering the matter. “And if I do not?”

“I suppose you could chose another man,” Jason replied slowly. “But he must be a rake. Are you acquainted with any?”

“Gracious, how and where would an old, on-the-shelf spinster such as myself have the opportunity to meet a gentleman with an unsavory reputation?”

There was no mistaking the embarrassment etched on Jasper and Jason’s faces. Yet their clear discomfort did not completely ease the hurt she felt.

“You have made your point, Merry,” Jason declared stoically. “We apologize.”

“As well you should.” Meredith bristled as she arranged and then rearranged the folds of her skirt. She tried holding on to her anger, but their guilty remorse ate at her conscience.

Their plan might be outrageous, but she had done far worse than kiss a gentleman of questionable reputation over the years to shield and protect her brothers.

“Instead of going through with this ridiculous scheme, why don’t I purchase the bays from the marquess?

I’m sure he will accept a fair price for them.

” Meredith suggested. “I will, of course, retain ownership of the animals so the poor creatures cannot again be used as gambling collateral, but would keep them here in London, at your disposal, to be used whenever either of you wished.”

The twins looked appalled at the notion. “The horses are part of a standing wager. You cannot simply buy them.”

“Why not?”

“It just isn’t done,” Jasper insisted.

Meredith shook her head in puzzlement and rose to her feet.

As far as she was concerned the discussion was ended.

In a moment of weakness, she had offered to acquire the horses her brothers seem to covet so keenly, but they had rejected her offer in favor of some antiquated male code of gambling honor she could not begin to understand.

Meredith strode to the door, then paused to look back at her brothers.

“I politely suggest you both now turn your efforts toward a way to legally obtain the coin needed to cover this bet. For it seems rather certain that despite your flawless plan to emerge victorious, you shall instead be the losers in this wager.”